A 3D hybrid praseodymium-antimony-oxochloride compound: single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation and photocatalytic properties.

A 3D organic-inorganic hybrid compound, (2-MepyH)3[{Fe(1,10-phen)3}3][{Pr4Sb12O18(OH)Cl(11.5)}(TDC)(4.5)({Pr4Sb12O18(OH)Cl(9.5)} Cl)]·3(2-Mepy)·28H2O (1; 2-Mepy=2-methylpyridine, 1,10-phen=1,10-phenanthroline, H2TDC=thiophene-2,5-dicarboxylic acid), was hydrothermally synthesized and structurally characterized. Unusually, two kinds of high-nuclearity clusters, namely [(Pr4Sb12O18(OH)Cl11)(COO)5](5-) and [(Pr4Sb12O18(OH)Cl9)Cl(COO)5](4-), coexist in the structure of compound 1; two of the latter clusters are doubly bridged by two μ2-Cl(-) moieties to form a new centrosymmetric dimeric cluster. An unprecedented spontaneous and reversible single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation was observed, which simultaneously involved a notable organic-ligand movement between the metal ions and an alteration of the bridging ion in the dimeric cluster, induced by guest-release/re-adsorption, thereby giving rise to the interconversion between compound 1 and the compound (2-MepyH)3[{Fe(1,10-phen)3}3][{Pr4Sb12O18(OH)Cl(11.5)}(TDC)4({Pr4Sb12O18Cl(10.5)(TDC)(0.5)(H2O)(1.5)}O(0.5))]·25H2O (1'). The mechanism of this transformation has also been discussed in great detail. Photocatalytic H2-evolution activity was observed for compound 1' under UV light with Pt as a co-catalyst and MeOH as a sacrificial electron donor.